


My Brother's Keeper

by penpenhooray



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Armitage Hux Has Issues, Brotherly Love, Canon-Typical Violence, Flashbacks, Kylo Ren Has Issues, M/M, Mpreg, On the Run, Star Wars: The Last Jedi Spoilers, Supreme Leader Kylo, Techie has issues, Techie is Hux's brother, Violence, and a baby, defecting, protective Techie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-02-17 11:23:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13075851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penpenhooray/pseuds/penpenhooray
Summary: There is only so much a brother can take, watching their sibling suffer, before they are forced to act.Techie would always be grateful for his half-brother rescuing him from the hell he used to know in slavery. Even if that meant staying hidden in his brother's rooms, and designing the occasional technological breakthrough for the First Order.But in the wake of Kylo Ren's crumbling stability, Armitage Hux is choked, battered and bruised, and carrying one very important secret.Now the time has come for Techie to return the favor for his older half brother, and save him from the hell of the First Order. If not for both of their sake, than for the sake of Armitage's unborn child.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So it's about 1am, and I just saw TLJ about six hours ago. My first thought when I saw Hux was "He looks like he's about to cry" and throughout the movie, I kept thinking "Hux is getting the shit beat out of him from people on his own side..."
> 
> Add that to my love of Kylux, Techie/Hux brothers, and mpreg, and...well, here we are! I know this isn't terribly original, but I figured since I haven't written a fic in over a year, something was better than nothing, right?
> 
> Warning: mentions and references to violence against a pregnant person. I know I tagged violence as a thing for this fic, but I thought I'd add this as well.

It was an odd thing, a life in space. The gravity was artificial, the oxygen was recycled and filtered many times over, and there was always the threat of the endless vacuum, should anything catastrophic occur.

  
But perhaps the simplest oddity of life among the stars was the lack of day and night. Starships did not orbit stars, and thus could not provide a sun-filled ‘day’ nor empty ‘night’.

  
Like everything in the First Order, night had to be scheduled. A section of time for troops and officers to rest when relieved of their duties. Granted, not everyone could sleep at the same time, that would be chaos, not to mention inefficient (what were they, the Resistance?). No, there were different shifts for every duty, including rest and sleep.

  
Delta shift was perhaps the closest the First Order came to a “night shift,” with the number of flight operations and training exercises fewer than other shifts (barely), and the officers in charge being…perhaps not the most well-liked in the scheduling office. It was hardly like Delta shift was understaffed, it was simply…that staff wouldn’t be called the First Order’s best and brightest.

  
And that was fine. Nothing exciting ever happened on Delta shift. Stormtroopers did their rounds, officers monitored the systems of their ships, and everyone counted down the nanoseconds from the time 23:00:00.00 came around until the time 05:00:00.00.  
Every shift. Without fail.

  
And that delta shift was no different than the hundreds that had passed before. Honestly, the most interesting thing of note would be security noting that General Hux entered the loading bay at 01:42:15.95.

  
Though, if security had been paying attention, or were perhaps a bit brighter, they would have noticed that at 01:47:36.01, General Hux entered the loading bay for the second time.

 

* * *

 

The loading bay was hardly a place of heavy foot traffic when there weren’t flight exercises being performed. And it especially wasn’t the place for the General of the First Order to be entering, let alone twice.

  
Yet, at 01:47:36.01, General Hux stepped into the loading bay, cover pressed down on his head, hands clasped behind his back, and BB-9E rolling dutifully behind him. It wasn’t a grand entrance: those who saw him pass stood at attention to salute him until he waved off the formality. But, being Delta shift, there weren’t that many to begin with. Though perhaps if there had been more people present, someone might have noticed that the General’s greatcoat hung a little baggy around his shoulders, that he didn’t look anyone in the eye, that his hair was… off somehow, that his steps were…rushed, so to speak. But hardly anyone cared about the General’s appearance during Delta shift.

  
And so, without much trouble at all, General Hux and his droid boarded one of the cargo ships scheduled for departure.

  
Only to be greeted upon boarding by General Hux already seated at one of the empty command chairs. The real General Hux.

  
Hux looked over to the impostor as the door to the ship closed, not even a shred of surprise in his expression. “Did you have any trouble?”

  
The double shook his head, shrugging off the greatcoat without hesitation, “No, I did exactly as you told me to. They didn’t even ask to see my identification.” With that, he removed his cover, allowing his long red tresses to fall down his head and into his face once more.

  
Hux resisted the urge to roll his eyes, simply standing gingerly (and doing his best to hide his wincing), “Honestly, Bren, you should have cut your hair…” He murmured, brushing the hair from the other’s face. His gloved fingers paused as they brushed the scar tissue above Bren’s eyebrow, and Hux forced himself to not think about what had been written there previously.

  
Bren shook his head, “We have more important things to worry about, Armie.” He insisted, “And you should be laying down.”

  
“Are you sure you can do this?” Hux murmured, “If we fail…”

  
“We won’t fail, brother.” Bren insisted, before turning his attention to the droid at his feet, “Come on, Neini, we’ve got work to do, and not much time.”

  
BB-9E whirred lowly before rolling over to the cargo ship's main console. It wasn’t long before the protective paneling was removed, and both Bren and Neini were hard at work at the wires beneath.

  
It wasn’t a matter of being able to fly the cargo ship that was the concern. Both Bren and Armitage could both fly the basic cargo ship with limited difficulty, even Neini could set an autopilot to safely make it from point A to point B without any surprises.

  
No, it was what was to happen after Bren and Armitage Hux managed to fly the cargo ship out with the other ships going out for their pickups.

  
They weren’t coming back. And they needed to make sure they couldn’t be tracked, or traced, or pinged or blipped or found in any way. Not by the First Order.

  
And definitely not by Supreme Leader.

 

* * *

 

  
_“The Supreme Leader is Dead!”_

  
_So many feelings inside him at once, could even begin to put names to even a fraction of them? Was he still in shock? Disbelief? Surely he felt relief, he felt… dare he say it? Hopeful?_

  
_But then Ren turned that wicked power on him, that abomination of nature, and he could feel the air being squeezed out of his throat, his lungs. If he wasn’t careful, he would squeeze all the life out of him. All of it._

 

_“All…” He rasped, “..hail Supreme Leader…”_

  
_How could he dare to have felt hope? He was no better off than where he had been._  
_If not worse…_

 

“Armie, wake up.”

  
Armitage Hux sat up straight at the mention of his name and immediately winced in pain. He shouldn't have fallen asleep in the chair, but he hadn’t thought he would have actually fallen asleep. Not with tensions as high as they were. “Are we ready to go?” He asked, voice dry from sleep.

  
Bren smiled to him, “We’re already in space. The recordings Neini had worked perfectly.”

  
Armitage gave Bren a weak smile in return, resting a hand on his arm, “You did well. I’m proud of you…”

  
Bren rested his hand over his brother’s, hands ungloved, and the digits slightly more slender than Armitage’s, if more callused and slightly singed. Those slender fingers wrapped themselves around Armitage’s arms, “Now come on, I need to take a look at you…”

  
“There’s really no need…”

  
“I’m not blind, Armie.” Bren shook his head, “You’ve been walking gingerly the past few hours, and you fell dead asleep in that command chair. When did you last sleep?”

  
Armitage didn’t answer his brother, mainly because he couldn’t give a definitive answer. Had he managed to find time to sleep between the destruction of Starkiller and the attack on Crait? He certainly hadn’t the time for even so much a cup of Arkanis black tea to pick him up during the chaos of the past eighteen…twenty-four… was it thirty hours?

  
He hadn’t the time to even calculate the hours, as Bren had already laid out both greatcoats on the floor, and was already beginning to work on the buttons of Armitage’s uniform.

  
When the top half of Armitage’s uniform was removed, and Bren’s expression shifted from one of concern to horror, Armitage could imagine that the bruises were in full color now: black and purple and ugly.

  
“Oh, Armie…” Bren whispered softly, his eyes whirring softly as his cybernetic eyes focused and refocused on the damage around Armitage's throat. He lowered Armitage to lay down on the makeshift bed, biting his lip worriedly, “Neini, get the first aid kit!”

  
“No, that won’t help…” Armitage argued weakly, though the droid was already rolling away to fetch said first aid kit.

  
“Well, hopefully, we can at least get some bacta on these.” Bren murmured softly, his fingers light as they traced the bruises around Armitage’s throat, “…He did this to you?”

  
Bren didn't have to say who ‘he’ was, but the question still barbed at Armitage, “…Yes…” He whispered weakly.

  
The younger nodded slowly, his fingers moving aside the sleeve of Armitage’s undershirt, revealing more of the purplish-blackish flesh of Armitage’s shoulder and back.

  
“Did he throw you?”

  
“It was—”

  
“Did he. Throw you?”

  
He felt stupid, forcing himself to blink back tears as he nodded, “Yes…” He was so weak, so emotional. Sentimental.

  
“Kriff…” Bren swore softly, as Neini returned with the first aid kit in grasp.

  
The next few minutes were spent in merciful silence, as Bren slowly applied swabs of bacta ointment over Armitage’s bruised throat and shoulder, only rolling him when absolutely necessary to swab his back. Now that the rush of battle was over, Armitage could feel every bruise right down to his bones. But he wouldn’t take the painkillers. He couldn’t.

  
After a few moments of heavy stillness, after Bren set aside the bacta, the younger finally spoke.

  
“Do…you don’t think you lost it, do you?”

  
Armitage closed his eyes, unable to resist the temptation of touching his abdomen with a tenderness that had previously only been granted to his brother…and _him_.

  
“I…I don’t know.” Armitage whispered, “We’d have to find medical facilities to do a full check-up…”

  
“Then that’ll be the first thing we do.” Bren nodded firmly, standing slowly, “You get some more sleep. Eight hours or more, if you can.”

  
“I’ll try.” Armitage murmured, though his eyelids were already conspiring against him.  
Bren must have noticed that, as he was content to turn his attention back to flying their escape craft and leave Armitage to his own devices.

  
Once Bren’s back was turned, Armitage moved his other hand to cup his abdomen, unable to stop the rebellious tears from leaking from the corners of his eyes.

  
He had lied to his brother. He knew he hadn’t lost the baby. He could still feel the throbbing life, the surge of vitality, that he had been feeling for the past three months. A child that thrummed with the power of the Force.

  
The only secret he had been able to keep from Supreme Leader.

  
Both of them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are with Chapter 2! I'll admit, it's been a while since I've updated a fic beyond a one-shot! So I'm hoping I haven't gotten too rusty (I'm sure there are typos out the wazoo here...whoops!)
> 
> Things to note: Mitaka lives! *mad scientist laugh* because I refuse to let this blueberry muffin go! And he got a promotion, because with all the people who died on Starkiller, there were some openings lol.
> 
> Let me know your thoughts, as well as ideas for what you think the Brother's Hux should do next!

_Bren had been seven when he first learned that he and his brother were different. At least, different in the eyes of their parents._

_Before, Bren had never noticed that he had received there were always gifts to be had on his birthday, his favorites to be had for supper, kisses to be given to him by mother, fond pats on the head by father._

_But not for Armie._

_Bren didn’t know what Armie’s favorite food was, or if it was ever served. Father sneered and berated Armie. Mother refused to even look at him, preferring to speak and act as if he were not present._

_Bren had been devastated when he discovered why his mother was so cold toward his big brother._

_“He is not your brother.” Mother had insisted, “Not really, not ever. He will never be more than the scum under your boots.”_

* * *

 

On board the cargo ship, Bren opened his eyes, allowing the circuits of his cybernetics to dilate and refocus his faux pupils. From his seat in the pilot’s chair, he could content himself with the simple beauty of the stars laid out before him, and cherish the rare moment of stillness while he still could.

Bren turned in his chair to get a better look at his brother. Armie was asleep, thank the stars, curled up on the floor with the greatcoats wrapped around him. And while Bren wished they could have stolen a ship with a proper med unit and cot, he and Armie agreed that it would only draw attention and raise their risk of being caught.

Their stakes had been too high to begin with, considering just how little time they had to put together their escape.

Well, perhaps it had only been a short time thinking about the escape for Armie.

A low beep sounded beside Bren, bringing his attention to Neini, perched at his feet.

“Say again, Neini?” Bren asked, repressing a yawn. Perhaps he needed more sleep than he thought…

Neini beeped again, the binary short and succinct.

“’Now what?’” He frowned, “What do you mean ‘now what?’”

The BB droid repeated the message, and Bren could hear the exasperation dripping from the binary.

“Now Armie and I will find someplace safe, away from all this war, where we can live in peace, where Armie can have his baby in peace.”

_Beep._

“N-no, we haven’t planned exactly where that will be…”

_Beep-boop._

“Well I know we’ll have to disguise Armie… and me too, probably…”

_Beep-beep._

“No, there aren’t any rations on this ship…” Bren sighed, cradling his head in his hands, “I’m well aware that this was not the most thought-out plan—”

_Beee-eep._

Bren glared at BB-9E, “Yes, thank you for that addition. But in case you forgot, we didn’t have much of a choice. Armie is in bad shape, and this is after he had his lip mended after what Snoke did to him…”

He closed his eyes again in attempt to banish the image of Armie, returning to their room with his uniform rumbled and blood dripping down his lip and chin, trying to carry himself talk while stifling a limp, a wince, a whimper, a cry.

No, he couldn’t start thinking about that now. He needed to figure out his next move, where to go now that he and Armie were away from the First Order’s fleet.

_Beep-beep-boop._

“Yes, Neini, I know we need to get Armie medical aid, and check on the baby…” He sighed, “And we need a new ship. Even though that I’ve scrambled any tracking systems, we can’t continue flying in a First Order craft, we stick out like…well, like a couple of redheads.”

_Beep._

“If you’re not going to be helpful, I will find a new use for you.”

BB-9E gave a scandalized blip before rolling off toward Armie, leaving Bren to his thoughts.

And, hopefully, his plan to keep his brother and his niece or nephew safe.

 

* * *

 

  
_It was rare to have more than a handful of moments of solitude in the fast paced life of the First Order. War was not the most productive place for leisure._

_So every moment they could spare for one another, they stole with relish._

_They lay together in the tangled sheets of Kylo’s bed (always Kylo’s bed, though Kylo understood why they couldn’t meet in Hux’s chambers), with the General resting his head against the Force-user’s broad chest. His eyes were closed, his heavily styled hair was in disarray, and his cheeks flushed, and Kylo had to admit that Armitage Hux was beautiful._

_“The war is almost over.”_

_Kylo had to stifle a snort at the General’s words. Even in the aftermath of their passion, Hux was thinking about the war. “It is indeed.” He replied, “Once the Republic is gone, it’s only a matter of taking out what’s left of the Resistance.”_

_“Starkiller is ready to fire.” Hux murmured softly, opening his eyes, “It’s not the Republic, or even the Resistance, I’m concerned about.”_

_Hux didn’t need to clarify what he was concerned about. Kylo already knew._

_Snoke._

_“I’ll kill him.” Kylo murmured, “And then, once he’s dead…nothing will stop us.” He gently kissed the top of Hux’s head, “I will protect you… both of you.”_

This was not supposed to happen. The Resistance was supposed to be dead; the war, over. He was Supreme Leader, but yet he felt no closer to victory than when he was under Snoke’s command.

It had been hours since they had returned from the empty mine, and Kylo was still fuming. Skywalker had played him for a fool, and Kylo had been in too blinded by rage to see it until it was too late.

First Rey, then Skywalker… he was losing sight of the end goal, and the distractions were costing him. He needed to focus…

He needed to speak to his General.

Kylo was more than aware of the way all the officers held their collective breath the moment he stepped out onto the bridge. If he was honest with himself, he could hardly blame them. He been more volatile as of late, even toward Armitage… he would have to apologize and find a way to make it up to the redhead.

But Hux wasn’t on the bridge.

The Supreme Leader frowned at the sight of the major standing in the General’s place, overseeing the bridge.

“Where is General Hux?” Kylo asked, doing his best to keep his voice level and calm.

He ignored the way the major flinched at the sound of his voice. Honestly, Kylo didn’t understand why Hux had seen fit to promote the man to major, he had barely been a reasonable lieutenant. But that was another matter entirely.

“The General did not report for duty, Supreme Leader.” Major Mitaka cleared his throat, standing at attention as he addressed his superior.

Kylo frowned at that, “And…you did not consider this…unusual, Major?”

“We did, Supreme Leader.” He gestured to several communications officers working at their stations, “When the General did not report for his shift, nor answer summons sent to his quarters, we sent inquiries to the Medical Bay.”

Kylo had to resist the urge to grimace at the thought of any officer trying to summon Hux from his personal quarters, knowing how protective Armitage was of who he was hiding inside the quarters. And Kylo couldn’t help but feel guilty at the mention of the Medical Bay. If Armitage had been admitted to the Medical Bay, no doubt it was his own fault… “And is the General in Medical?”

Mitaka shook his head, “No sir. We’re tracking down his last known whereabouts now.”

The Supreme Leader nodded slowly, watching as the officers worked on unraveling the location of General Armitage Hux.

“At 20:19:03.11, General Hux boarded the Finalizer along with the rest of the troops and officers who survived the attack on the Supremacy.” Reported Petty Officer Thanisson, typing on his computer.

Kylo knew that, he had been standing right next to Armitage when they returned from the failed mine attack. The General had refused to speak to him, and Kylo could hardly blame him. He had been…testy, to say the least.

“22:04:54.33, the General uses his access code to his quarters.” Continued Lieutenant Stynnix, her voice emotionless and clipped.

“When is the next time that access code is used?” Kylo asked, watching the two young officers closely. It was one of the more…unnerving things about the First Order: just how young the officers were. He could change that now, he noted. No more child soldiers.

Several moments past as both officers worked at their station computers, with Mitaka and Kylo looking on.

“At 01:42:15.95, General Hux uses his access code in the loading bay.” Began Stynnix.

“And again at 01:47:36.01.” Finished Thanission.

Mitaka raised an eyebrow, “Leaving and exiting the loading bay, perhaps? Though the General should have been taking his mandatory eight hours of rest.”

Kylo frowned. True, Armitage should have been taking his mandatory eight hours (especially since he had been denied that by Snoke for far longer than what could be considered healthy— something that had infuriated Kylo), but that had hardly stopped Armitage from overworking himself in the past.

But what could he accomplish in the loading bay in only five minutes?

“Pull up the surveillance footage of the loading bay during that time.” Kylo demanded, schooling his features, “I want to know what the General was doing.”

Thanisson nodded, clicking several keys on his computer to access the footage. And, at first, the four simply watched the loading bay during Delta shift.

“There’s the general at 01:42…” Thanisson murmured, “Increasing footage speed to x1.25 normal speed…”

Kylo watched Armitage’s form walk through the entrance to the loading bay, calmly walking from one end of the bay to the other, where the cargo ships were docked.

“Why is the General examining the cargo ships?” Mitaka asked, brow furrowed.

“He’s not examining them, Major.” Kylo replied calmly, watching the footage, “He’s boarding one…”

And there was no reason for Armitage to board something as insignificant as a cargo ship…

“Approaching 1:47…” Thanisson said calmly, slowing down the footage. “Strange, the General is nowhere near exiting…”

It was true, there was no way Armitage could get back to the door in time to use his access code at 01:47:36.

So seeing the door to the loading bay open once more to reveal General Armitage Hux entering the loading bay, crossing the room, and boarding the same exact cargo ship.

“What the stars…” Mitaka frowned, “Did someone spoof a loop from 1:42?”

“No sir.” Thanisson shook his head, “But I can’t explain it…”

Kylo could. Even in the distant footage of the surveliance camera, he could see the difference. The slighter frame, the ducked head, the less than perfect hair.

And, of course, the droid.

 

_“What exactly is your brother doing?” Kylo asked, peering at the strewn droid parts outside the door of Armitage’s closet._

_Armitage shook his head, leaning against the larger man, “Bren…he’s more comfortable in the closet when you’re here…”_

_“I can understand that.” Kylo muttered, “But, why the droid parts?”_

_“Bren likes computers, so I brought him some decommissioned droid parts to play with.” He sighed, before smiling fondly, “I’m sure he’ll make something far more efficient with the parts.”_

_He raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure he’s alright being locked up in your room all day with nothing but droid parts?”_

 

_“It’s better than the alternative, Kylo. At least here, I can keep him safe.”_

“That’s not General Hux.” Kylo frowned at the footage, “Not the second one.”

Mitaka frowned, looking to Kylo, “Then…who is it, sir?”

Kylo didn’t answer Mitaka. He’d promised Armitage he’d keep Bren a secret, keep him safe, and he’d honor that promise.

For now.

“Do they ever leave that cargo ship?” He asked instead, “Speed up the footage.”

Thanisson complied without a word, and Kylo watched the footage. As the seconds ticked by into minutes, Kylo could feel a sense of dread balling in the pit of his gut.

Especially as the cargo ships began their routine departures, and the cargo ship bearing both Armitage and Bren departed as if nothing was wrong.

Mitaka turned to Kylo, disbelief on his face, “Supreme Leader… what does this mean?”

“That depends.” Kylo took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions, “How many cargo ships were deployed for that supply run?”

Stynnix pulled up the records on her computer, “Twelve, Supreme Leader.”

“And how many are now back on board?”

“…Eleven, Supreme Leader.”

Silence reigned for several moments, and it was all Kylo could do to keep from destroying something.

“I can’t believe it…” Mitaka whispered, “The General…has deserted.”

No, Kylo refused to leave it at that. In a fit of rage, Kylo lashed out through the Force, sealing the bridge doors shut. He directed his hand over the two officers at their computers, leaving them to collapse in a dead faint. He’d scour their minds to remove the evidence of both Armitage’s desertion, but also the existence of Bren.

He turned on Mitaka then, pressing a gloved finger to his chest.

“Congratulations, Major,” Kylo hissed, “You’re going to be helping me track down a runaway General before he can get too far.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I haven't forgotten about this fic! I just needed a couple of weeks to get back on track with Wake Up, Dreamers (and it feels good to be writing for that fic again!)
> 
> But I just couldn't resist coming back for more Hux brothers! This fic is really quickly becoming half about Armie and Bren on the run, and half about Hux's journey to reunite with his half brother. So expect flashbacks (and those of you who read Wake Up, Sleeper know that I love me some flashbacks).
> 
> I hope you enjoy, even if it is on the shorter side!

_Being named General had allowed Armitage a number of liberties that hadn’t been afforded to him before. Especially now that Brendol Hux was good and dead, Armitage could dedicate time to more…worthwhile pursuits._

_In the beginning, he told himself his search was only to put an end to his guilty conscious and unending ‘what-ifs’. He thought that finding out the truth of Bren’s death would lay something to rest inside of him, allow him to let go of the frail little boy with sweet blue eyes. And if he could let go of the little boy, he could devote himself to bringing peace to the universe, so no child would suffer the same fate as Bren._

_Though that changed when he learned that Bren wasn’t dead. When records of a little boy matching Bren’s description were found in known slaver files._

_It was a slow process then, too slow for Armitage’s liking, but he knew he had to patient. He would track down the records to the responsible slavers, “interrogate” them as he saw fit, then burn them and their ‘establishments’ to the ground before moving on._

_Each link in the chain brought Armitage closer to what really happened to Bren._

_But then Kylo Ren had been assigned to co-command with Armitage on the Finalizer, and he had to be very careful with his side project. If Ren found out about Bren, then it wouldn’t be long until Supreme Leader Snoke found out._

_And if Snoke knew about Bren…_

_“You’re hiding something, General.”_

_Ren was an unsettling presence as it stood, but with his voice and breath rasping through that mask of his… it made the hair on the back of Armitage’s neck stand on end. He didn’t want to think about what horror lay behind that mask…_

_So instead, Armitage schooled his features into a mask of his own, “I should think not, Lord Ren.” He began calmly, “The First Order has no room for secrets.”_

_“And yet there you are…” Ren stepped close, too close._

_Armitage wasn’t an idiot, he knew the Force user was trying to intimidate him. He couldn’t let him win even that much ground. Too much was at stake._

_“If you’re quite done, I believe we both have work to do.” Armitage replied, turning on his heel and striding out of the room before Ren could reply._

_He would have to keep an eye on Ren, lest he learn about his little half brother. For now, he’d halt his search, at least until Ren’s suspicions of him passed._

_Though it was so difficult not to obsess over the newest shred of evidence, and how Armitage’s search had now been narrowed to a single system._

_Solar._

  
“Armie. Armie, wake up.”

Armitage could feel Bren’s hand on his shoulder, his voice in his ear, and though he was reluctant to wake, he forced himself to open his eyes.

“How long was I out?” He asked, stifling a yawn as he sat up. His bones protested the movement, both from exhaustion as well as from the poor sleeping conditions. Cargo ship floors did not a proper bed make.

Bren shook his head, “Not nearly long enough, it appears, but we need to go.”

Nodding, Armitage stood up, stretching his sore limbs. His belt dug into his gut uncomfortably, so he quickly removed it. No sense causing any more discomfort for himself or the baby.

Besides, he hardly needed to maintain his uniform anymore, did he?

“Where are we?” He asked as he followed Bren and Neini to the ship’s door.

“Somewhere where people don’t ask why people are landing in stolen First Order craft.” Bren muttered, taking one of Armitage’s covers and ripping off the First Order insignia, “We’ll have to ditch the craft here, then we either hitchhike or hijack our way off this rust bucket of a station.”

Armitage raised his eyebrow, “Since when did you become so ruthless, Bren?”

“Probably during my time on Cursed Earth.” Bren muttered, shoving the torn cover over Armitage’s distinctive hair, “Mama wasn’t exactly known as a coddler.”

Armitage’s gut gave an involuntary squeeze at that, “I’m so sorry Bren…” He whispered.

Bren spared a glance at him before taking him by the arm, leading him off the ship, “You have nothing to be sorry for, Armie.” He said softly, “You got me out of there, after all.”

* * *

 

_Clean. Everything was so clean. And shiny. And new._

_And empty._

_“There’s hardly anyone patrolling during Delta shift. Come on, Bren.” Armie’s voice cut through his tired thoughts, “We need to get out of the halls.”_

_Techie turned his eyes up to look at Armie properly. He was so much taller now, shoulders broad and jaw square. He looked so much more like their father did before. Or, did Techie’s memory of their father match the vision of Armie now? It had been so long since he had seen his father, his mother, or his half brother. Twenty years? Fifteen? Twenty five?_

_How old was he now?_

_“Bren.” Armitage gently jostled Techie from his thoughts. Or rather, Bren. That’s right, his real name was Brendol… Bren. How could he have forgotten?_

_A vision of Mama flashed through his mind, and Bren quickly recalled just how overwhelming the presence of the mob boss could be._

_But he didn’t need to worry about that now. Mama was dead, and Armie had come to rescue him from Cursed Earth._

_They were walking along the corridors of a spaceship. And not like the spaceships of the slavers Bren had seen over the years. This ship was magnificent._

_And it was Armie’s._

_“Are you in the military, Armie?” Bren asked, as Armie led him down the halls, his greatcoat draped over his slender shoulders._

_Armie smiled to him gently, “I’m the General, Bren. I’m going to protect you now. Nothing will hurt you anymore.”_

_Bren liked the sound of that. Just like old times then._

_Armie led him to a set of doors that only opened when he removed his gloves and pressed his hand to the biometric panel. What lay beyond the doorway was the move wonderful apartments Bren had ever laid eyes on._

_“This is yours?” Bren whispered, moving forward to explore the wonderful rooms._

_“Yes, Bren. Ours now.” Armie nodded, leading him inside and shutting the door, “You’ll be staying in here while I have to attend to my duties.”_

_Bren blinked, looking back at his brother, “I can’t come with you?”_

_A regretful look passed over Armie’s face, “Not yet, Bren… There are certain people I don’t want learning about you.”_

_“Why?”_

_“They… I won’t let them hurt you.” He whispered, stepping forward and pulling Techie into his arms, “This is only temporary, Bren. I promise.”_

_A soft chime sounded throughout the chambers, and a monotonous alert sounded._

_“Lord Ren, Requesting Access.”_

_Armie stiffened around Bren, and he quickly held Bren at arm’s length, “Bren, I need you to go into the bedroom, and lock yourself in the closet.”_

_“But why—”_

_“Please, Bren, just do as I ask.” Armie pressed, before giving Bren a gentle shove into the bedroom._

_Bren did as Armie said. He always did. Armie knew best, of course. And as Bren was shutting the closet door, he could hear the dark, ominous voice that was with his brother in the other room._

_“General…”_

  
Mishamar Clinic was the type of clinic that seemed to specialize in asking few, if any, questions, and would stitch up any wound if there were enough credits to be had. It was also the type of clinic that had more pathogens and contagions crawling about the surfaces than Bren’s cybernetic eyes could possibly calculate. If they had not been in such dire straights, Bren would have never brought his pregnant brother to such a cesspool.

As it was, they were in dire straights, and Bren’s options were few and far between.

Doctor Mishamar (though Techie’s cursory research told him at first glance that the ‘doctor’ had been thrown out of medical school before he could receive the title) had Armie on the exam table, with his brother’s shirt pulled up over his middle, and the belt buckle unclasped, giving the doctor a good view of his abdomen.

Though Bren wasn’t naive enough to think that was the only thing the doctor was getting a good view of.

“Let’s keep your eyes and hands on the task at hand, doctor.” Bren said shortly, his fingers drumming against the blaster at his hip.

The grubby human (or rather, Bren had to assume he was human. He wouldn’t have been surprised if he wasn’t though) gave a grunt in response, before running the scans over Armie’s abdomen.

Charming.

Mishamar was reporting back his scan findings to Bren, but he needn’t bother. Bren could clearly read everything that was on display on the doctor’s medical screens.

He could see the image of a small, but clearly alive, fetus moving inside his brother. His baby. The Supreme Leader’s baby.

Armie could see it too, and Bren could see the slight shimmer in his brother’s eyes as he looked at the image of his child. Not that he would mention it to Armie. Whether they were tears of awe or of fear, Bren would not ask, they were for Armie to share or not.

“Can you…” Armie asked, his voice tired and weak, “Can you tell the gender from this?”

Mishamar grunted again, “From this, it looks like either a girl or a very unfortunate boy.”

If Bren’s eyes could roll like biological eyes, they would have. What an idiot… “Now, doctor, if you could see to my brother’s wounds, that would be appreciated.”

The doctor opened his mouth, no doubt to either give another grunt or make another dumbass response, but stopped short. His eyes, no doubt leaving Armie’s lower half for the first time, were looking up at the torn cover on Armie’s head. Before Bren could stop him, the idiot doctor reached up and pulled the hat from Armie’s head.

Between the red hair, the sideburns, and the sharp, pale features, it wasn’t too difficult for any idiot to recognize just who Armie was.

And, while doctor Mishamar was a complete idiot, he wasn’t dumb enough to not know when he had General Armitage Hux on his exam table.

“Kriff!” Mishamar jumped back from the exam table, “What the hell is this?”

“No questions, doctor.” Bren grit out, hand grabbing hold of his blaster.

“Do you have any idea how much people would pay for—”

Mishamar didn’t get the chance to explain what people would pay for, as Bren had fired a single shot between his eyes.

Part of Bren was horrified at his callousness. He had just murdered someone, without hesitation. Perhaps Mama was wearing off on him more than he would have liked.

But another part was reminding Bren of the danger he and Armie were in. They were being hunted by both sides now: Resistance and First Order. And after everything that Armie had done to save him from his life as a slave, he was prepared to do anything to keep his brother…and his niece, safe.

Murder seemed so trivial in the grand scheme of things.

“Bren.” Armie was sitting up now, quickly making himself more presentable.

“We’ll need to hurry.” Bren nodded, “I don’t know when Mishamar’s death will be discovered, but we need to be long gone by then.” He quickly moved to the medical cabinets, throwing whatever looked useful he could carry into his pockets, “Come on, take what supplies you can. We need to be fast.”

Armie nodded, following Bren’s lead for a change. They would need to stock up on bacta, but more importantly, they would need food and drink before too long.

Bren brought a comm unit to his mouth, “Neini, be prepared to leave quickly, we’re going to be doing a bit of running.”

* * *

 

_General Armitage Hux was hiding something, of that, Kylo was positive. The sniveling little sycophant was far too secretive for Kylo’s liking, especially when he was off duty, working on datapads and accessing files that had nothing to do with the First Order’s operations._

_Kylo intended to find out what the General was hiding. For the good of the First Order, of course._

_The General’s private quarters were the perfect place to start. After all, Hux seemed to lock himself in the chambers lately as soon as his shift was over, and would block access to the outside world._

_But Hux was on rotation now, which left Kylo with more than enough time to do some investigation of his own._

_It wasn’t hard to make his way to Hux’s personal chambers. After all, as Co-commander of the Finalizer (and really, the entire First Order), there was nowhere that he did not have access to go. At least, in theory there shouldn’t be._

_It took Kylo longer than usual to get through the General’s security measures on his chambers, which were far and above standard issue._

_Paranoid bastard._

_But, as it was, Kylo was hardly about to be deterred by something as simple as computers. With a few tricks of his own (which may or may not have involved his lightsaber), Kylo was able to get the door open._

_Though a flash of red hair caught Kylo by surprise as the door slid open. It was only for a moment, as whoever it was had fled from the main room to the bedroom and sealed that door behind them._

_It couldn’t have been Hux, that much was certain. Kylo had made certain to leave the General on the bridge in the middle of his rotation, so the man could no interfere with his investigation._

_Which begged the question as to who was in the General’s quarters._

_The General’s little secret wasn’t a what, but rather a who._

_How cute._

_Getting through the bedroom door had only been a matter of time for Kylo, and then there would be nothing between him and the mystery redhead._

_But as the door slid open, Kylo was confronted, at once, but the feeling of fear that resonated from the room and its occupant._

_Not the embarrassed fear that a kept man or woman might have for being discovered by a jealous spouse, or the sheepish fear that a subordinate might have when they knew they had gone against orders and were awaiting punishment._

_No, the fear Kylo was feeling in the air was nothing more than abject terror. The fear that a child might have of the monster under their bed, if that monster were truly real and all too prepared to devour them in one gaping swallow._

_That terror was made all too human by the cowering figure in the corner of the room, attempting to hide himself in the General’s meager closet._

_Obviously not a kept man, if the man’s gaunt figure and face were anything to go by, not to mention the lanky hair that fell over the man’s face (as annoying as Kylo found the General, he did believe that Hux would have better taste in men than that)._

_Even the eyes were strange, far too blue to be considered within the realm of human genetics…_

_“Get away from him!” Hux’s voice sounded through the room like a thundercrack, and it wasn’t long before the General’s body followed his voice, as the man rushed into the room and put himself between Kylo and the trembling man._

_Kylo was glad for his mask then. Stuffy as it was at times, it kept others (notably Hux) from seeing his true expressions. He’d been so caught up in the strange, scrawny man, he had been shocked by Hux’s sudden appearance in the chamber._

_Hux must have synced an alarm to his chambers in case someone tried to break in, Kylo realized._

_“You have no business in my private chambers, Lord Ren.” Hux squared his shoulders, but Kylo could feel the slightly frayed nerves at the edges of the General’s normally flawless facade._

_Fine, if that was the game the General was going to play, Kylo would play his role as well. “You have been acting suspicious as of late, General. For the good of the First Order, I investigated to see if you were hiding something… only to discover that you weren’t hiding something, but rather a someone.”_

_“My business is my own, Lord Ren.” Hux replied sharply, “As is who I allow into my chambers.”_

_“I highly doubt the Supreme Leader would agree.” Kylo began, enjoying the way Hux stiffened and all but squirmed under his greatcoat, “After all, you could be fraternizing with a spy, or perhaps a known member of the Resistance.”_

_“He’s not, and we are not fraternizing.” The words were slightly rushed, not like the General at all. Kylo was beginning to enjoy himself now._

_He slowly stepped closer to Hux, allowing the proximity of his presence to intimidate the man. Up close, it was satisfying, watching Hux mentally squirm and fret and run through every possible outcome of the conversation._

_As if he had any choice but to tell Kylo._

_“He’s… my brother…” There was loathing in the words, but Kylo quickly deduced that they weren’t words of hate directed at said brother, but rather Hux’s self loathing in his weakness in being forced to say the words in the first place._

_And now that Hux said the word brother, Kylo could see it now. The frame was similar, at least from the chest down, the jawline and ears (the hair was an obvious note, of course). But there were just enough differences to tell the two apart: the lack of muscles on the mystery man, the hair, the heart shaped face versus Hux’s square one, the nose, the lips. The eyes, Kylo realized on second look, weren’t human at all, but rather cybernetic implants._

_Huh._

_But if the man was Hux’s brother… Kylo would seriously need to rethink a lot of his preconceived notions of the General… and why he was hiding his brother in his private chambers._

_“Meet me in my chambers, General, after your rotation.” Kylo finally replied, “We shall have to discuss our next steps in all of this.”_

  
Kylo blinked his eyes open slowly, allowing awareness to sink over him like the blanket draped over him.

Even in the few moments of rest Kylo managed to steal, Armitage was on his mind. Armitage and Bren.

That first meeting between him and Bren hadn’t gone off well initially, but it had opened the door between him and Armitage, leading to their first face to face conversation.

The first time either of them showed the other a weakness.

Armitage was always so protective of Bren and, after hearing the entire story, Kylo could hardly blame him. And seeing Armitage with Bren, seeing him so genuinely care for another human being, was endearing to Kylo (damn Snoke’s proclamations about attachments).

They were supposed to be a family now. As Supreme Leader, Kylo would have made sure that not only Armitage was secure in his position, but that Bren would never want for anything or fear anyone ever again.

But they had run. Why would they run? Armitage would never just…abandon everything he ever worked for… not after everything he had done to climb to his position…

It didn’t make sense.

A small chime sounded from across the room. A datapad, Kylo’s tired mind supplied, as his hand reached out and summoned the device to him.

Only one person in the First Order currently had permission to contact him, and Kylo hoped Mitaka had something important to report. Something good.

A single message was on display.

_Transport located. Nearest officers dispatched to secure location and retrieve the General and accomplice._

Kylo took a deep breath, closing his eyes once more. Armitage and Bren would be home soon, and then they could explain themselves.

And then they could get back to ruling the galaxy together, as a family.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Kylo, so oblivious...
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Please, let me know what you think in the comments, as well as what your ideas are for the future! What do you think will happen when Armie and Bren are confronted? Will Kylo be able to woo Armie back to the First Order? Will Bren get his brother to safety?


End file.
